The Devil's Checkmate
by Miaka
Summary: Continuation of the anime. Fin needs Jeanne to defeat Satan for her to become a complete angel, but is that possible? Meanwhile, Maron and friends visit Maron's parents in France. Chapter 11 has been posted!
1. Chapter 01

Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne OAV

A/N-- Yo! *cackles* I've decided to write a Kkj OAV series... o.o;; You should've seen me stomping my feet after the last episode... *twitches* I was dying for more.. -.- Oh and no, I haven't read the manga, so I don't know how the manga ends.. therefore, this OAV picks up from where the anime left off. ^^() Um.. okies.. well.. Surprisingly, I'm -not- improvising. I actually wrote a plot before I started writing this. *grin* Hope you like it... It's going to take some thinking to figure out how Maron will transform into Jeanne without the cross thingy... ¬¬; Maybe Fin and Access will give Maron a magical shoe from God which can help her transform =P Hehehee, anyways, I'm shutting up now. Ja mata!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A dark figure covered in a dark cloak limps around in the rain on a cold night in winter. They reach a chapel and stop at the locked gates to catch a breath. The figure lets out a feminine cry of agony and grabs onto the gates. Two more figures, dressed in white and carrying umbrellas, run to the gates and open them. "Miss! What're you doing out in the cold rain!?" one of them ask, grabbing onto the woman and helping her up. They hurry her to the chapel door and rush her inside. 

"I'm Sister Ciyami and this is Sister Ryokou. Here, let me take your cloak!" Sister Ciyami said gently. She practically hauled the wet cloak off of the poor woman, who sank to the ground in sobs soon after. Sister Ryokou, younger than Ciyami, leaned over and stared at the dark haired and teary, deep blue eyed woman.

"Ciyami-san! She's-"

The woman, still sobbing, let out a high pitched scream of pain. Ciyami's and Ryokou's eyes widened and they called for the other nuns to come out of their dorms in the convent and help them with this woman. They all enter a room, a few of the nuns carrying the woman. Ryokou shuts the door behind them. On the left of the door is a painting of the Virgin Mary. There is another loud scream coming from the woman, and then the sound of a baby crying. The painting outside of the room glows faintly.. and a red tear streams down the Virgin Mary's cheek..

_16 years later.._

"Oh no.. Not the letter again!" Miyako sweatdropped as she stopped with Chiaki and Yamato to wait for Maron. Maron pulled out the white envelope from her mailbox; a faint smile revealed itself across her lips. Maron turned the envelope over and blinked at the pink heart sticker on the back. 

"Oi, Maron, you can read the letter later! Let's get going!" Miyako dragged her feet over to Maron. She swung her arm around Maron and pulled her over to the door.

The four of them walked through the apartment doors and started to walk to school. 

Maron lagged behind the others, taking time to stare at the envelope in her hand. She wanted to open it so badly. Chiaki glanced back at Maron and purposely took a few steps backwards so that he was now walking at the same pace as she was. "When are you going to open it?" Chiaki asked, looking over at the envelope. 

"I don't know.." Maron looked up at him. 

"Who's it from, anyway?" Miyako called back. 

Maron hadn't bothered to look at the return address earlier, so she did so now. The address was 145 Bleu Ave Paris, France. "I'm not sure.. I don't know anyone from France," she finally answered. Then Maron's eyes suddenly widened as she remembered her parents who traveled around the world to design Amusement Parks. 'Could it be?..' she thought, holding the envelope close to her chest. 

Suddenly she felt a warm arm placed around her shoulder and Maron glanced over at Chiaki. Chiaki smiled a friendly grin and said, "Why don't you open at your place later? And then after we could have some dinner… and… do some 'stuff'," Chiaki raised both of his eye brows up and down. Yamato and Miyako stopped dead in their tracks and sweatdropped when they heard sudden punching, kicking, and Maron's yelling from behind them.

"Baka baka… At this rate, we'll never get to school!" Miyako reached behind her and pulled Maron away from Chiaki, very slowly. The four walked the rest of the way to school, Miyako dragging Maron.

Later at lunch, Miyako and Maron sat together on a bench. Maron pulled out the letter from her pocket and turned it over to the back. Her heart began to beat faster as she slowly removed the heart sticker from the envelope and pulled the closed part open. There was a letter inside (obviously.) The letter was written on pale blue paper with white clouds, decorating the top. Maron began to read the letter:

__

Dear Maron,

We are sorry about the false alarm divorce. Your mother and I have talked things out and we've decided that despite our differences, if we work hard and keep hope, we can make things work out right. We are currently located in Paris, France; it's a beautiful city. Your mother and I would appreciate a visit from you, we haven't heard from you in so long.. If you like it here, you can even stay if you'd like. If you look inside the envelope you will see a check. I made sure there's enough money from the check for you to bring along three friends. However, if you can't find that many willing to visit France during the school year, don't worry about it.. Save the rest of the money for your personal needs. Please give us a call so we have an idea of when you'll be visiting. Remember Maron… we love you.

Ojiisan

A/N -- Ojiisan means 'father' in this case… ^.^ not grandfather o_O

Maron smiled. A few tears streamed down her cheeks and Miyako gawked at her while eating a mouthful of rice. "What's the matter, Maron?" she spit out the rice SD and looked cluelessly at Maron. Maron rose up from the bench and began jumping up and down excitedly. 

A/N -- For anyone who * doesn't * know, SD means super deformed. In other words.. chibi. ^____^()

"We're going to France, Miyako-san!!" Maron squealed and hugged her oblivious friend. 

"France? In the middle of the school year?!!?" Miyako's eyes widened and she still had no clue what was going on. Maron showed Miyako the letter and Miyako started to dance around with Maron in an anxious way.

"What are you two so jumpy about?" Chiaki suddenly asked, as he was passing by with Yamato. Maron looked at the letter again.

"Chiaki! Minazuki-san! How would you like to go to France with Miyako and I?" she smiled suddenly. Yamato's and Chiaki's mouths dropped open.

"Are you serious!?" Yamato practically screamed. Maron nodded cheerfully.

"Does this mean I get to share a hotel room with you?" Chiaki suddenly asked, standing next to Maron. There was a shattering silence and Maron turned dark red.

"BAAAAKAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After school, Maron and Miyako walked home together. When they got to their floor on the elevator, they walked out and stopped at Miyako's door. "Think my parents'll let me go, Maron?" Miyako asked, while reaching out to her door handle.

Maron nodded cheerfully and gave Miyako a pat on the back. Miyako opened the door and the two walked inside.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N-- I know that some people spell it 'Finn' and some use 'Fin,' but I'll be using Fin. Is Finn from the manga version..? Just curious..

Angel Fin Fish sat quietly on a cloud, waiting for her trial's results. Suddenly she heard a loud voice, "Fin-chan!!!" Fin sweatdropped as Access Time, another angel, hugged her tightly.

Fin wriggled out of Access's arms and squeaked, "Access! What did God say?"

"Oh.. uh.. that? Uh.." Access started with a shy laugh. Fin raised an eyebrow and gave him a warning look.

"You're forgiven.. but because you were corrupted, you can't become an official angel until…"

"Until…?" Fin frowned.

"Jeanne defeats Satan."

Fin pulled on some of her bright green hair with her tiny fingers and let out a scowl of frustration. "Are you crazy? After everything Maron already went through!? I CAN'T do that to her!"

"God's orders.." Access sighed.

"Is Satan even capable of being defeated?" Fin blinked. Access shrugged. Fin closed her eyes and sighed. Would Maron be angry with her?

----------------------------------------To Be Continued-------------------------------------------

So? Wha'd you think? A lot of it was copy and pasted from different versions of the OVA I was going to use.. OAV.. OVA.. which is it, by the way? I get confused.. I thought OAV was original animated version.. and.. OVA was something else.. oooh.. confused.. @.o So, if you liked it or didn't like it, please review! ^.^ If I find time, I might even continue this sometime *soon*! 


	2. Chapter 02

KKJ OAV

~ Bahh.. Sorry about the small confusion in the first chapter. I used "they" in the second sentence because the readers weren't supposed to know what gender the woman was yet, thus the reason she was wearing a cloak. I didn't want to use "it" because then people might think it's some sort of creature or something. *Gulp* Don't want to bore you, so I won't continue. Enjoy! ~

"Paris, France!?" Miyako's mother squealed with delight, her hands clasped together like a child in prayer. 

"In the middle of the school year?" Toudaiji Himura, Miyako's father, grumbled.

"Yes! Can I please go?" Miyako exchanged smiles with her mother.

"Why of course you can!" her mother replied. With that, she left everyone else in the living room and went to go cook up a celebration meal.

"In the middle of the school year…" Himura mumbled again. Miyako and Maron sweat dropped, while glancing over at him. He was sitting in a chair, comfortably. But his expression was not all that comfortable. 

"Yes, Otoosan.. In-the-middle-of-the-school-year! If it bothers you that much, I can always ask Packelamou-sensei for the work ahead of time.. and Maron and I can-"

"Ne, Miyako!" Maron interrupted with a nervous laugh, "I'm sure we can make it up -after- we return from France."

"In the middle of the school year.." Himura still had the same sullen expression on his face.

Miyako sighed with a 'What can ya do?' look on her face. She and Maron left for the kitchen to help Miyako's mother prepare dinner.

--------

Chiaki unlocked his door and entered his dark apartment. The usual quiet was present in the room, but Chiaki still felt uneasy. Without bothering to turn on a light, he made his way over to a chair and sat in it. The moon was faint that night. It was too weak to shine much light through the open window beside Chiaki. 

"Paris, France.. Why do I have a strange feeling about this?" He closed his eyes, while thinking over it. Not intending to, Chiaki eventually fell asleep.

__

In his slumber, he dreamt he was sitting upon a the edge of a cliff and staring down into the abyss below. He felt something unusual flowing over his back.

Wings?

The vision faded and now Chiaki was looking at.. himself? No, Maron was there too. He saw his other self with his back turned toward Maron. Maron had her hands covered over her face. It was obvious she was crying.

"Chiaki!" she cried out to him. The other Chiaki continued to ignore her and he began to walk away.

"CHIAKI!!!!!!!!!!!"

Chiaki awakened with the most unpleasant feeling and jumped upright out of his seat. He ran through the darkness of his apartment and hurried out the door.

Chiaki knocked on Maron's door. No answer. He knocked again, three times. There was still no answer. "Not home.." he said with disappointment. He decided to wait against the wall next to her door until she came back.

------

Maron finished the last spoonful of her dessert, strawberry mousse, and rose out of her seat. "I'd better get back to my apartment. My parents wanted me to call them with a reply, today!" she smiled at the Toudaiji family. Miyako and her mother winked and waved to Maron.

"In the middle of the school year.." Himura sighed, acknowledging Maron on her way out.

------

Maron closed the Toudaji family's door behind her. She turned around and was surprised to see Chiaki frowning at her from across the hall. "Chiaki! …Isn't it a bit late to be bothering me?" Maron grinned, walking around the big drop in the hall that showed the other floors of the building.

She pulled out her key and stopped in front of her door, glancing at Chiaki who was standing on the side. She stopped smiling however, when she realized that he was still frowning solemnly. "Is.. something wrong?" she finally asked, turning toward him.

What happened next was unexpected. Chiaki stepped forward and pulled Maron close to him in an embrace. Maron dropped her key. Her face was flushed with bright red.

"Chi..aki.."

As he pulled away, Chiaki's glance followed Maron's eyes down to the floor at her key. Before Maron could pick it up, Chiaki grasped the chance and knelt down. He grabbed the key, rose back up, and held it out to her. Maron reached out and took the key, all the time staring at Chiaki's tense face. 'What's wrong with him..?' she thought.

Chiaki walked around Maron to return to his apartment. As he passed by her, he said gently, "I'm going to France with you."

~ Anooo… More to come soon, I promise! ^.^* ~


	3. Chapter 03

Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne OVA  
  
The day arrived when Maron and her friends would leave for France. Of course, the day began with Maron sleeping late.. because she had been awake for so long the night before, trying to decide what to bring to France with her.  
  
"Marrooonn! Maron!" Miyako pounded with frustration on Maron's apartment door. However, no matter how hard Miyako's fist hit against the door, Maron would not wake.  
  
Maron tossed over on her side and yawned lazily. Her eyes didn't open though and she kept on sleeping. After deciding to give up, Miyako hurried over to Chiaki's door. She hoped he hadn't departed for the Tokyo Airport yet. "Chiaki!" she called, knocking softly at first. When Chiaki didn't answer, Miyako turned dark red and sweatdropped.  
  
"This is beginning to get to me.." Miyako muttered under her breath. She stood in silence for a moment. Miyako's face deepened into crimson. Finally she took a big gasp of breath and..  
  
"CHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"  
  
Chiaki, who had been taking a relaxing shower, winced at the sound of Miyako's morning worn voice. He reluctantly turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. Just before he walked out of the washroom, he paused and sweatdropped. He chuckled to himself and grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist.  
  
Just before Miyako considered breaking down his door, Chiaki pulled open the door and greeted Miyako with a broad smile. Miyako was just about to scold Chiaki, but when she noticed his appearance, she blushed terribly and looked to her left. Then, still looking in the direction of Maron's apartment, she said, "Maron's not waking up. We have to be at the airport in an hour."  
  
Chiaki laughed and said, "Ahh.. it's no problem. You go get your luggage and I'll take care of Maron." Miyako sighed, but nodded. With that, she walked back to her apartment to retrieve her suitcases.  
  
Chiaki stepped back into his apartment and closed the door behind him. A faint smirk slid across his lips as he strode through his apartment.  
  
--------  
  
Maron faced Chiaki's back, fully aware of the darkness surrounding both of them. The tears she was crying were the only source of warmth, for Chikai wouldn't even look at her.  
  
"Chiaki!" she choked on the trembling in the back of her throat. Instead of acknowledging her, Chiaki started to walk in the other direction. Maron rose a foot to begin chasing after him, but something stopped her.  
  
"CHIAKI!!!!!!!" she screamed, unwillingly staying put. And then ...  
  
"Maron."  
  
--------  
  
Maron woke up. She was facing up, her eyes met the ceiling. She was still shaking from her nightmare, wishing she had not gone to sleep the night before. Finally, she hoisted herself up by her elbows so that she was now sitting in bed. It was then that she noticed Chiaki was staring at her from standing at the foot of her bed. She jumped when she saw him, about to ask how he got in. But her question had been answered when her eyes flickered over to the open window. Cool air swept in from outside; this reminded Maron of her dream, except that Chiaki's back was now not turned toward her.  
  
"Maron.." Chiaki looked as though he had witnessed what Maron had dreamt. This made Maron more than uncomfortable. She threw her blankets aside and stared at her bed sheets, refusing to meet Chiaki's eyes.  
  
"You were dreaming about me.." Chiaki said playfully. Maron fell over.  
  
"Dreaming about you?!" Maron retorted, getting up and throwing a disgusted look at his grin.  
  
"Well, when I first came, I thought you were yelling at me for using the window.. But then I noticed that your eyes were closed, so you must have been dreaming," Chiaki explained, not hesitating to add, "I'm kind of curious, though.. About the kind of dream you were having." Maron noted that his voice was void of concern, and so interpreted his "curiosity" to be an excuse for her to snatch up a pillow and throw it at him. Chiaki caught the pillow, nestling it in his arms. Maron sweatdropped; she couldn't believe he was letting her frustration grow. She was horrified, to begin with, that he had heard her shouting his name in her sleep.  
  
"Oi.. What're you doing here, anyway?" Maron demanded. She dragged her pillow away from Chiaki, ignoring the pout on his face that followed.  
  
"Miyako was looking for you, so I came to get you!" he smiled, obviously proud of his deed. Then he continued, "She said we had an hour before we need to be at the airport, but that was... ten minutes ago."  
  
"WHAT?!" Maron panicked, jumping away from her bed and dashing to her closet. After she was finished with the closet, she then began to open her drawers, emptying those as well. She ignored Chiaki's satisfaction from her having flung panties and brassiers to join the pile of clothes at his feet. Chiaki's smile vanished, of course, when a realization stung him cold in the face.  
  
"Maron.. You haven't packed?"  
  
*Flump!* That was the second time that morning that Maron fell over.  
  
"Well, I.. I started to, last night.. But I got tired and told myself I'd wake up early this morning to finish.." she broke off quietly. Unexpectedly, Chiaki made no comment; when Maron turned around, she saw that he had simply raised his eyebrow. When she finished stowing what was left into her suitcases, Chiaki offered to drag them out of her apartment.  
  
--------  
  
~*Author's Notes:*~ Uhh, yes.. Sorry for taking so long to update on this. And the reason I added what I recently wrote to the third chapter is because of the third chapter's short length. - -; Thanks for the reviews, people! I hadn't expected to get more than a few. Oo; If it weren't for you guys, I don't think I would have continued with this. *L* But uhh.. Writing more helped me remember how obsessed with KKJ I really am, so.. You can expect more from me not too far in the future. ^.^ Ciao! 


	4. Chapter 04

Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne OVA  
  
Fin scanned the surface of the earth, wondering how long she would be searching before she found who she was looking for. Finding certain people in cities for angels was not nearly as difficult as it was for humans, for angels were given pieces of God's own vision powers to keep tabs on people. Still, finding Kusakabe Maron who was not at home, nor school, was no piece of cake for Angel Fin Fish.  
  
"Maron, where are you.." Fin muttered, her eyes closed. Suddenly, she heard a soft wind behind her - and the beating of wings. She turned around and looked to see Access Time. He was grinning from ear to ear.  
  
"What're you so happy about?" Fin asked suspiciously. Access's smile faltered and he continued to stare at Fin rather nervously.  
  
"Well?!" the green haired angel demanded, becoming irritated.  
  
"I was just enjoying how pretty my Fin-chan looks when her eyes are closed..." Access mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. Fin raised an eyebrow. "Oh! And!!! I've been assigned to work with you on achieving your new status!" Access no longer looked nervous. He was back to smiling. Fin had to admit to herself, she preferred the smile.  
  
"What? Partners?"  
  
"Yep!"  
  
Fin swayed; she felt troubled. Why would God allow Access to work with her if it was her own status she was working to accomplish? Just then, it seemed as though Access had been able to read her mind.  
  
"God thought Jeanne could use the extra guidance."  
  
"Ohh..." Finn nodded. The air around them suddenly felt ... different. Something was coming.  
  
Access pointed at the parting clouds behind them. "This way, Fin- chan!"  
  
--------  
  
Maron tried her best to ignore the person sitting to her right; it was difficult to distract herself when she was not the one sitting directly next to the window. But no matter what direction she seemed to look in, Chiaki continued to gaze at her; eshe knew he was doing it on purpose for he had only grinned when she scowled at him earlier. She waved at Miyako and Yamato, who were sitting in the next aisle, but they seemed to be too wrapped up in their discussion to notice. Maron sweatdropped at this.  
When she pulled her eyes away from them, she then became very aware of the warm air that blew down over her shoulder. She narrowed her eyes and turned to give Chiaki a deadly glare. She had not expected his face would be so close to her and when she looked him in the eye, she noticed that their noses were just barely touching. Chiaki used the opportunity to his advantage, of course, and kissed Maron there and then.  
  
"Moouu... Chiaki," Maron grumbled, pulling away from him. She hoped that he hadn't noticed her hesitation.  
  
"Yes?" Chiaki looked at her through a facade of innocence.  
  
"I'm sleepy ..." Maron answered. She then tilted her head so that her cheek rested against Chiaki's shoulder.  
  
Chiaki chuckled, "Good. I'm looking forward to hear some other hints of what goes on in those dreams you have about me. OW!"  
  
Maron had punched his arm. "Nevermind, I've decided that I'm not sleepy anymore." She ignored Chiaki's sigh of disappointment when she moved her head and sat up straight.  
  
Meanwhile, not far from where Maron was refusing Chiaki's suggestions to return her head to his shoulder ...  
  
Access rocked his feet back and forth, occasionally looking up to see if Fin was having any luck finding the girl. He felt the wavering arms of the man sitting in the seat whose armrest Access was resting on; three times already, the man had nearly rested his arm on top of Access. Luckily, Access had excellent speed and was able to dodge in flight each time. It was true, that most humans could not see angels, but an angel's "invisibility" would not save him or her from the curious reaction of a human who might accidentally come into physical contact with the angel.  
  
"Any luck?" Access whispered to Fin.  
  
"I'd have more luck if you were helping me instead of fooling around, you know!" Fin piped, rolling her eyes when once again, Access jumped up into the air to avoid being crushed by the man's arm.  
  
"Well, this IS *your* mission... I'm only here to help," Access yawned, wishing there were pancakes somewhere nearby.  
  
"Oh, Access!" it was all Fin could do to keep herself from raising her voice as she thwapped the black angel over the head and continued, "What good is your presence if you're here to help, but you're not helping?"  
  
Access sulked, but almost immediately after his shoulders sank, they rose back up again and he cheerily pointed and said, "There! Sinbad AND Jeanne!!" Fin followed the direction of his index finger and confirmed what he had just exclaimed with her own eyes. Fin saw from the corner of her eye that Access was prepared to speed off in that direction. Luckily, she grabbed a hold of his ear just in time.  
  
"Wait! It isn't safe for them to talk to us here," Fin said. Access looked about and nodded; too many people, the risk was too high.  
  
"Let's kick back for now then," Access sighed. He gave one glum, long look behind him and took back his seat on the armrest once the man removed his arm again. Fin looked at him with some empathy. She knew he was wanting to speak with Chiaki soon, as she wanted to talk to Maron again.  
  
"Mmn! We'll follow them off the plane when it lands," Fin said. Access wondered if the tone in her voice had been a hint that she was trying to make him feel better. He smiled at her.  
  
--------  
  
Despite Maron's "changed mind" from earlier, she felt herself slowly becoming detached from being awake. In short time, her eyes were closed and she was no longer focusing on the magazine laid out in her lap.  
  
--------  
  
Maron found herself in a white hall. There were no lights, no pictures on the walls, no furniture ... just white. There was a black door in front of her; it looked so out of place. Maron turned to look down the left side of the hall; there seemed to be no turns or other black doors, just an endless white hall. The same applied for the right side of the hall. It made Maron uncomfortable to realize that her only escape from the place she was standing seemed to be the black door in front of her. The odd thing about the door was, aside from its color, its handle; in fact, there was no handle, so Maron gave the door a push instead. Inside was a room filled with people.  
  
There seemed to be a celebration or party of some sort going on. She found Miyako, Chiaki, and Yamato all chattering happily by a table of beverages. Maron was relieved to see people she recognized and therefore started towards them. But a hand grabbed her shoulder.  
  
"What are you doing here?" a familiar face asked her. It was a old man shorter than herself, a frown on his face where his usual smile would be. Maron felt herself trying to answer, but the man pushed her away with the hand he had rested on her shoulder.  
  
"What are you doing here?!" he demanded again. Maron couldn't understand why he was so angry. It couldn't be because of her age if her friends were here. This didn't look like an "adult's party," anyway.  
  
"I don't have anything left for you to steal. Get out!" the man snarled.  
... Maron's heart raced. Steal? She looked up and then finally realized that her hair was no longer its natural chestnut color, but blonde now. Her hands were gloved, her feet in boots ... but why? Why was she dressed up as Jeanne in public? And why now, when there were no more demons..? Then the man's words struck her. She finally recognized his face too. It was Minazuki's grandfather.  
  
"Get out!" he growled, not acting like himself at all. The guests in the room apparently noticed the scene and were beginning to crowd around Jeanne. She panicked, looking for an opening to escape through. To her own horror, the harder she looked, the less she was able to find anything bu the malicious faces about her. There was something about the faces though, besides their sinister smiles, that somehow linked them all together. Jeanne squinted her eyes, checking carefully. A young boy, an artist, a motorcycle racer, a father ... Ah! These were all people who had been possessed during the time Maron was fulfilling the role as Jeanne D'Arc's reincarnation. They all seemed to be yelling about the items Jeanne had sealed. Even ... No. It wasn't Chiaki afterall, but his father.  
  
'Now, more importantly ... How am I going to get out of this?' Jeanne thought, searching herself for her rosary; finally she found it and relieved, Jeanne backed away from the closest side of the crowd. She started looking for something to checkmate, while waiting for the pin to fully rise out of her rosary. Suddenly she felt utterly ridiculous. There was more than one possessed person around her ... would sealing one object really help? And something else troubled her while she pulled her arm away from a man who had snatched it. Hadn't these people already been saved?  
  
'And what object can possibly connect all of them if I've already sealed the individual's objects that possessed them in the first place?'  
  
Jeanne looked down at her feet. 'Of course! The answer is so obvious, it was lying under my own nose!' Her fear had gone, replaced by confidence that was surging in her chest.  
  
"You, demon born in darkness, I seal you here." Jeanne saw several hands dive towards her as she spoke.  
  
"CHECKMATE!" The pin darted down and stopped just before the floor. Jeanne heard groans and screeching from the demons of the people who stood around her. She covered her ears and closed her eyes when a blinding light followed.  
  
'What's happening..?'  
  
Then, she heard it. Someone calling her name. Not Jeanne's, but..  
  
"Maron!"  
  
........................................  
  
"Maron!!"  
  
--------  
  
When Maron woke up, she saw Chiaki, Miyako, and Yamato staring down at her. She jumped at the sight of them, not expecting to still be locked in a crowd. The three others exchanged glances with each other, then looked back down at Maron. Finally, Maron had to ask ...  
  
"Why are you standing up?"  
  
"Ano.. We've landed.." Miyako explained, still curious about why her friend had been murmuring to quickly in her sleep. Maron turned to the window behind Chiaki and saw that indeed, the plane was on the ground.  
  
"Come on, we're the only idiots still on here!" Miyako complained, dragging Maron out of her seat by the arm.  
  
"Ow, Miyako! That hurts!" Maron whined. Miyako only rolled her eyes and opened the compartment above to remove their extra luggage. Finally, they made their way to exit the plane.  
  
--------  
  
~*Author's Notes:*~ Arrrgghhhh... Took me forever to write that. X3; Suuu...! I hope the people who enjoyed this see that I've updated. X.x; Sorry for taking so long. Expect more shortly! ^.^; 


	5. Chapter 05

Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne Sequel

_Dear readers,_

_I almost wasn't going to continue this because it's been so long and my writing has since developed... I apologize for keeping people waiting. Since I am still a major fan of KKJ, I've decided to pick this story up. I hope to finish it eventually. In the meantime, enjoy the story. _

_- Miaka_

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Maron stood beside Chiaki in a crowd of bustling travelers. Some were just stepping out the revolving doors of the airport to greet loved ones, others brushing passed her to catch their planes to other paradises. Then there were tourists like Maron and her companions who took their first appreciative breath of Parisian air and wondered over the fun they would have during the next two weeks.

A limousine was waiting for them along the sidewalk. As soon as Maron and the others had managed to separate themselves from the crowd, a sketchy looking middle aged man walked up to them, looking Maron up and down. He was wearing a dark suit and matching, polished shoes. His thin blond hair slicked back over his head and the man adjusted his inpenetrable shades as he looked from Miyako to Maron. Maron stepped an inch away from him, not liking the fact that she couldn't see where his eyes were looking from beneath his sunglasses. Chiaki stepped between them.

"Kusakabe-san?" the man asked, ignoring Chiaki and instead looking over the boy's shoulder.

"Ah, yes?.." Maron answered, embarrassed by her nervousness.

"Your father sent me to pick you up," the man continued, removing his shades. All around her, Maron could hear unfamiliar languages.

"Thank you," Miyako said, nudging Maron for not breaking the silence.

"I'll take your bags," the driver said to them, opening the door of the vehicle for them to go in.

"Waaa! It's huge! Oi, Yamato! Watch where you're stepping!"

"Sorry, Miyako..."

Maron stood next to Chiaki, waiting for her other two friends to make room for her. She was about to step into the limo as her and Chiaki's arms touched. They stopped and looked at each other; she was blushing.

"Ladies first," Chiaki grinned, moving aside to let her go before him.

"Mou... hurry up!" Miyako yelled at the two. Maron complied, but not before rolling her eyes at Chiaki as she settled down next to Miyako.

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Around this time, Access had been following Fin across the city in search of the Kusakabe residence. Fin had trekked what seemed to Access like every neighborhood of the city. "Arrondissements!" Fin referred to them with an excited squeal. Access was thrilled to see her like this; he had no idea a simple vacation would make anyone so happy. Finally, they found themselves in a suburb (or _banlieue_) to the west of the city, Saint Cloud. It was there that Fin finally succumbed to Access's pleas for rest and it was only because they had found the place they were looking for.

They were perched in one of the horse chestnut trees that spread out across the yard in front of the Kusakabe home. Access and Fin both marveled at the house once they each caught their breaths. They had passed over an ironclad gate at the entrance and onward over the long, thin pavement that led to the house, but they had not expected the place to be so beautiful.

It was what Fin called a _manoir_, almost like a chateau, both of which which Access was finally familiar with. They could see a garden bordering the far right side of the yellow building. The shutters and frames of the house were white. Some of the windows on the second floor had little black rails in front of them, enclosing mini balconies from what Fin expected were bedrooms.

After minutes of staring, Access gently touched Fin's arm. With a pointed finger, he directed her gaze towards the long black vehicle pulled up in front of the residence.

"Do you have planned what you're going to say to her, Fin-chan?" he asked, watching her melt into tears when she caught sight of Maron. Fin shook her head a litte, trying to dry her cheeks with her palms. She knew this reunion would be a big deal to Maron. Her parents had meant the world to Maron and, although they had been under the control of demons, their distance and the constant instability of their relationship over the past years had really hurt their daughter. Fin silently wondered whether this visit would be able to repair the damage. Maron was a strong girl, she knew. But this was one thing she had always been fragile about.

"I don't," she sniffled, for once not objecting to the supportive arm Access had wrapped around her. "I wanted to give her a couple of days before I broke the news..."

"While I understand why," Access frowned, "I think it's important that we get it to her as soon as possible."

"What about Sinbad?" Fin suddenly asked. "Er... Chiaki... is he to be involved at all?"

Access couldn't suppress a grin as he remembered all the trouble he and Sinbad had put Jeanne and Fin through in their past rivalry, despite Sinbad's purpose having been to save Jeanne all along. God hadn't said anything about his assistance this time, but Access was sure if Chiaki saw him flying around, he would know something was going on. Access would undoubtedly be the first he'd ask for answers.

"I guess we'll see. That's entirely up to him," he finally replied.

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

"I didn't realize your parents were so well off!" Miyako whispered to Maron when the driver had turned away from them to bring two of their bags into the mansion before them. Maron's heart was racing, not from the size or the ethereal setting around her, but with the realization that she was finally going to see her parents. What would she say to them?

Chiaki hadn't lifted his eyes away from her, all this time troubled by the condition he had found her in more than thirteen hours ago. Despite having teased her about the dream, Chiaki knew perfectly well that it hadn't been a sweet one. Minazuki stepped up to Chiaki's left and began to drone on about French architecture as Chiaki stared at Maron.

"HEY! You guys slept on the plane! You shouldn't be so spaced out like that," Miyako shouted at them all from the doorway. The driver was beside her, cringing at the pitch of her yell as he held out a hand to take the bag she was handling.

"Come on, come on, come on!" she beckoned them over, hauling Maron into the building as soon as she was within arm's reach. Minazuki exchanged glances with Chiaki before they entered the manorthemselves.

The group was disappointed to hear from the head of the serving staff that both Monsieur and Madame had business to attend to in a region known as Rouen. They were to be back by dinner and they were looking forward to seeing Maron and to meet her friends.

"Bah!" Miyako said softly to Maron, hoping her friend was not bummed out about it. "Business is business. At least they'll be back soon." Maron managed to smile for Miyako. Despite what her friends were probably thinking, Maron herself felt somewhat relieved. The thought of meeting her parents had stirred up so much anxiety in her that her knees had been shaking when she first stepped out of the limo. Now at least she would have some more time to think of what to say to them.

"Bonjour!" a voice greeted them from their right. The four of them turned in unison to see a blonde, petite, Fench Maid smiling at them from the bottom of a white, winding marble staircase carpeted by a deep blue. Miyako glanced from the maid to Yamato, scowling at the blush on his face. "Welcome to Manoir de Marron d'Inde.

"My name is Marguerite. I'm to take you to your rooms," she inclined her head politely, turning her head towards the stairs behind her. "Your luggage has been brought upstairs. You'll find it in one of the guestrooms. Ah..." Halfway up, she paused beside a window. "If you look to your right, you'll see the garden. Madame spends a lot of time there. There is also an indoor garden in the left wing. There's a small pool there, should you find yourselves wanting to swim." Minazuki, who was walking a couple of steps below Marguerite, found himself face first in the back of her black and white laced skirts as she suddenly stopped again in front of him. She smiled, pardoning him as he immediately spilled out embarrassed apology after apology. Miyako once again noticed the bright red on Minazuki's face. She was surprised by the faint sting she felt as she watched the interaction between the two.

"This is it," Marguerite gestured. Behind her was the reason she had stopped so abruptly. The group could see a hall that split both left and right. However, the floor there was no longer carpeted, but left bare so that the white marble shined delicately under warm ceiling lamps. "The guestrooms are to the left. The right has some more rooms, some of which the night shift servants use when they aren't on duty. If you were to keep going up this next flight of stairs, you would reach Monsieur and Madame's room. If you need anything, though, you can normally find me or any of the other maids downstairs." As Marguerite was finishing and turning to leave, she emphasized her last words while locking her silvery eyes on Chiaki. "Dinner is at 6 o'clock in the dining room. Feel free to relax until then, you've got a couple of hours... you're probably exhausted after that flight. And don't forget, don't hesitate to ask for anything in the meantime. I'd be more than happy to assist you."

Chiaki shifted uncomfortably as she brushed passed him with a smile. Miyako and Minazuki seemed to notice what had happened, but Maron had already walked in front of them to find her room. She was eager to unpack.

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Two hours later, Maron and her friends made their way to the dining room. Chiaki casually looked about the room and thought it was not much different from his father's. The long, socially limiting table that ran down the height of the room, the portrait of some distant grandfather hanging high from the center of the wall his back was now to, the candles at the center of the table, lit despite the room already having enough light from the chandeliers above everyone.

Maron's father had walked in first, greeting his daughter with at first a long, thoughtful stare. He was clearly taking in all the changes in his daughter and trying to accept that she had grown up all these years without him. When she spoke, he opened his arms to her and they hugged each other, Maron nearly bursting into tears when her mother joined them. Maron's friends were still seated, watching the touching scene. Of the three, Miyako was most moved, for she had known of Maron's loneliness for years. Maron finally introduced the other three, her parents recognizing Miyako and exchanging small talk with her while the food was brought out.

Maron did not recognize most of the foods that were lain on the table. The dish she was now eating from, her father told her, was_ Terrine Rustique, _consisting of pork, salad, nutmeg and other ingredients. It was different than the food she was used to, but not necessarily bad. Beside her, Miyako was talking to Minazuki and Chiaki across the table about the people they had seen on the plane while Maron's mother was asking her questions about gymnastics.

"I'm so glad you brought your friends with you," her father said at one point, beaming at the three around Maron. "It seems like they've taken good care of you."

"Yes, Kusakabe-san!" Miyako smiled, nudging Maron. "You can count on us." Then, pointing a finger at Chiaki, she added, "Especially that one." Chiaki coughed a bit on the drink he was about to swallow at that moment, Minazuki pounding a hand against his back and hoping he was not going to choke. Once he had regained his composure, Chiaki gave a modest laugh.

"Ah, does that mean... the two of you..." Maron's mother tried to find the right words, not wanting to embarrass her daughter but wanting to clarify the relationship between Maron and the blue haired youth across from her.

"Madame," Chiaki decided to answer, politely looking from her to Maron, "I really like your daughter, but we're not exactly official yet."

Maron immediately stared down at her food, pretending to be preoccupied with poking at the cherry tomatoes on her plate while her parents inquired further.

"Not official!?" Maron's father chuckled. "Why is that?"

"We just aren't," Maron answered, her tone stiff. But everyone around her could see that she was blushing, more brightly than even Minazuki.

"Ah! Minazuki used to like Maron too," Miyako suddenly laughed, hoping to make the atmosphere less uncomfortable for her best friend. Indeed, Maron's shoulders relaxed as soon as the topic changed. "Maron's always had admirers." She showed Maron's parents a proud smile, although she had always been somewhat jealous of the number of guys Maron had always seemed to drawn; Minazuki included...

"I'm happy to hear it," Maron's mother said. She was the one Maron had gotten most of her looks from. "What about you, Miyako? The last time I saw you, you were playing detectives with Maron-chan. Do you have a boyfriend now?"

Miyako was surprised by the question, but did not hesitate to answer, "I have someone in mind, but he's a bit unsophisticated when it comes to things like that." Everyone in the room grinned a little, save for Minazuki, who had no idea what Miyako was talking about.

"Well!" Maron's father said once everyone was finished eating dessert. "Maron, your mother and I were hoping to have a word with you in the parlor... if your friends would like to take a self-guided tour of the house, they're welcome to."

"HEE!" Miyako said, enthusiasm all over her face. Chiaki and Minazuki sweatdropped, but got up with her and excused themselves, thanking Maron's parents for the lovely dinner before they left the room.

Maron had followed her parents through a door at the other end of the table. It led into a lavender room with white, pastel colored furniture. Even the curtains were white, with very faint blue ribbons lined along the bottom. Maron's mother guided her over to the sofa in the middle of the room. There was tea on the table for the three of them. As Maron picked up a cup, her parents sat across from her and quietly watched her. Maron tried to ignore the anxiety that had already started rebuilding up inside of her. So this was the inevitable, awkward conversation in which they would apologize for everything?

"Maron..." her mother began. But Maron cut her off.

"It's okay. I know you both had your... issues... I know. I admit, there were times that I wished you were both home. That you could get along well... I think what's important," she stood up, turning away from them as she started to feel her eyes water, "Is that you two are together now. And that everything's alright _now_. I don't want to talk about the past." She lightly parted the curtain away from the window to see the dusk outside.

"We're glad you feel that way, honey," her mother said. "But we actually have something that we... need to tell you."

Maron's heart stopped. She turned around. What could it possibly be?

"A colleague of mine passed away when you were a very little girl... you hadn't ever met him. Even if you had, you had only been a couple of years old at the time. You wouldn't have remembered. Anyway, he'd been living in France at the time. But I had met him in college and we had been best friends for... for years. That was the reason I came to France for the first time so many years ago, leaving you with your mother for a little while. When I came over here, I found that he had been taking care of a boy about your age... he'd adopted him before he left Japan after the boy's mother died in an accident. My colleague wasn't familiar with too many other people, so... I took the boy into my care and stayed here longer than I had originally planned. That was part of the what caused problems between your mother and I, in the beginning..."

Maron watched her father as he explained everything, her hands shaking at her sides. She didn't know how to take this. He wasn't even finished speaking yet. What more did he have to tell her?

"Just before your father and I called off the divorce, I met Shin... the boy your father had been taking care of. And after getting to know him, I realized I felt horrible about the way I had judged your father. Maron... there's a lot more to it, but the point is, we both grew to love him. And we hope... that you'll be able to do the same. That's also part of why we asked you to come see us so soon. The reason we never told you about him is because we thought you might feel... uneasy about it," her mother said, all in a soft, hopeful voice.

"Where is he now?" Maron asked, unsure of the tone of her voice and even more uncertain of how to feel.

"Upstairs, resting. He's staying here as well... he got here shortly before you did. He's been studying in England. The jet lag has him exhausted, but you'll get to meet him tomorrow," her father answered, holding his wife's hand tenderly.

Maron was relieved to hear that he hadn't been living with them. _Or has he?_ She wondered. She bit her lower lip, realizing that her parents were waiting for her to say something.

"I'm glad that you met with him, Okaasan," Maron finally smiled. "If he's the reason you two decided not to get divorced, then I really look forward to meeting him." The latter of what she said made her heart sink. She didn't know if it was true, but somehow she thought so. If any of her pain was showing, her parents did not seem to notice. Instead they jumped up and pulled her into their arms. Her mother had even started crying from relief. As Maron rested her head against her father's shoulder, she decided that it would be better to act as positively as she could; to not envy this adopted brother of hers whom she had never met. So for now...for _now_ she would tuck away her pain and smile for both of her parents; the way she always had.

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Marguerite, as she did every evening at half-passed 7 when the Young Master happened to be staying at the Manoir, stopped at the door at the right end of the second floor and gently tapped with her hand. In her arms, she held a silver tray with one of the light meals that the Young Master preferred. She knew exactly what he liked.

"Come in," a smooth voice said from the inside. Marguerite gave the door a light push and entered the dim room. She made her way to the window, setting the tray atop the night stand beside the bed. She felt, rather than saw, him sitting up in bed to watch her.

"Marguerite..." he greeted her, the name rolling off the tip of his tongue as he leaned over to light the candle on his night stand. "Is she here?"

"Yes, sir... she's here," Marguerite answered, standing with her arms folded in front of her. His arms wrapped around her waist as he stood up. He was taller than her by a foot, at the least; she had to look up to meet his eyes. They were dark, almost black. She could only see them because the candle light was dancing in them.

"If you don't mind my asking," Marguerite could suppress her curiosity no longer and decided to ask, "Why are you so interested in her?"

That was when he pushed her aside so that he could walk around her to the window. Marguerite kept her balance, but was surprised by the force he had used.

"I've been waiting to meet her for a very long time. For now, that's all I'll tell you."

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_To be continued._


	6. Chapter 06

Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne Sequel

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

It was just barely dawn at the moment Maron woke with a start. She hadn't been dreaming anything in particular that night, much to her benefit. But as the night lingered on in the early hours of that morning, Maron had found herself trapped in a somewhat dreamlike state. The exception was that she knew she was not awake and yet something, much like the dark night itself kept clinging to her consciousness, refusing to take leave. And so, it was no wonder to Maron when she woke with a twitch of her entire body, her breathing heavy with relief as she turned over onto her back and stared above. The neon green digits of the alarm clock to her left told her that it was almost six in the morning. She shook her blankets off and got out of the bed, hoping that one of her friends might be awake.

Maron felt her way to the door after a moment's self-debate of whether or not she should go back to sleep. Too disturbed by the manner in which she had woken up in, Maron decided to knock at the nearest room. The hall was much cooler than her room had been. The cold carpet made Maron silently wish she had warmer slippers; not that she would have worn them, anyway. The yellow minky fleece ones she wore at the moment had been bought back on a little shopping spree with Fin, back when the annoying little guardian had still been living with her. It had been rare for Fin to give Maron a "day off" from demon sealing in those days, but now that Maron looked back on it, she could understand why. It had been a while since Maron thought of her nightly thefts, which were actually secret battles against the demons that preyed on human hearts.

There had been no answer. She lightly knocked once again at the door she assumed to be Miyako's. While she began to wait again, she thought once more about the demons she used to seal. Surely, she hadn't taken care of them all. She had only been in Japan all this time. Weren't there demons elsewhere? In France? Was her night life as Jeanne really over? These were q uestions she had asked herself before, yes, but she didn't k now where to find the answers. Last time she had seen Fin, and even her counterpart Axis, they had been well on their way to get Fin promoted to a full fledged angel.

"Fin…" Maron's whisper filled the silent hall; she was suddenly overcome with a kind of homesickness; not from being in another country, but from not knowing how things had worked out for her dear friend.

"Maron?" Chiaki looked surprised to see her standing there. She hadn't heard him pull the door open.

"Oh… wrong one… I'm sorry for waking you," she began to turn but stopped when Chiaki laid his hand on her shoulder.

"You look upset. What is it?"

Maron let Chiaki turn her towards him and then hold her by her shoulders. She completely forgot about the cold in the hall and was instead surprised by how calm she felt just by standing with Chiaki.

"Come in, we'll talk," he started to say. Maron twisted a calculating look at him at first, puzzled by the invitation.

"I won't do anything, I swear," Chiaki assured her, amused by her suspicions.

Once he closed the door, Chiaki led Maron to the tea table near the balcony window and sat beside her after lighting the room. In the light, Maron looked exhausted. Faint shadows hung under her big brown eyes, which, at the moment, were content with staring at the floor. She rested her head in her arms on the table and, had she not lifted her face towards him when he next spoke to her, Chiaki would have thought she had fallen asleep then and there.

"Nightmare keeping you up?"

"Not really…" she replied a little too soon. Chiaki raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, then what?"

For a long time, she didn't answer. Maron just gazed across the table, thinking about the reunion with her parents the night before. Was that what was bothering her? No. But something…

"I've been feeling that something bad is going to happen," she finally answered, not minding in the least that it was a vague reply.

"That seems only natural. You haven't been with your parents in a long time, right? Of course it's going to feel weird to you---"

"That's not what I mean," Maron interrupted. Chiaki stood in front of her, squatting down and looking up at her.

"Demons?"

She returned his fixed gaze as she answered, "I don't know… I haven't seen anyone acting strangely… and I don't have Petite Claire here..."

After a moment of quiet, he said to her, "You should try to rest. We're going out with everyone tomorrow…" Chiaki stood and brought the other chair in the room next to Maron's.

"I don't want to sleep… I'm afraid I'll wake up back in Japan and find my parents are back to wanting a divorce."

Chiaki smiled, holding out his hand as his other brushed over Maron's hair. "Would you feel better if I stay with you?" he asked.

Maron gently held his hand and found comfort in its warmth. She nodded. They exchanged little conversation afterward, for both were still half-asleep. Eventually, despite her wishes, Maron's head leaned on Chiaki's shoulder as she nodded off. Chiaki, remembering Maron's words, did not want to wake up in Japan either. So he quietly waited for the morning; the only sound left in the room was Maron's soft, steady breathing.

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

It was the middle of the morning when the Kusakabe parents and the guests assembled in the parlor for a quick breakfast before the outing ahead. Miyako was eager to scan up and down the long tea table for a pastry cake to select. From crepes to crumpets to muffins and croissants, some dishes garnished with berries or edible flower petals. Minazuki had to distract her to keep her from eating too much. Chiaki watched them with quiet amusement, although for the most part, he was troubled by Maron's absence. When she'd last been with him earlier that morning, she had returned to her own room after a couple hours of sleep. She'd said she wanted to wash up and get ready for the day. Chiaki now wondered if she had just been uncomfortable being alone with him; alone and in a bedroom.

"Chiakiiii! You MUST try this!" Miyako managed to break free from Minazuki, waving a pretzel shaped treat in front of Chiaki to bring him back to earth with the rest of them. Chiaki took it as if under obligation and bit out of whatever it was to humor Miyako. He had no wish of drawing attention to himself.

"Monsieur?" Marguerite was there as well. At that moment, her hand was rested on Minazuki's shoulder. She held a teacup to him and smiled. Miyako immediately snapped out of her morning cheer and turned to the corner of the room, sulking and grumbling to herself.

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Meanwhile Maron was still in her room, struggling to lace her boots to make it in time for breakfast. The boots were suede, newly purchased for her by her mother as a welcoming present. Those were not what delayed her, however, but the soothing bubble bath she had lost herself in for the last near hour. The vanilla scent of the soap had relaxed her to the point of losing track of time. It had almost been like the bathing springs back at home, but different in its own way. It was something she could definitely get used to.

Finally! Her other boot was tied and she jumped up and hurried to the door. She had to turn back once more to grab her purse, but then she was off and out of the room. Once in the hall, she ran for the stairs. Just as she was about to turn right to walk down them, she stumbled.

"ACK!" Maron had tripped and fallen sideways without much time to see what or who she had knocked into. When she looked up, she saw a young man standing above her, his hand held down---to assist her up, she assumed. She took his hand and gratefully allowed him to pull her back up.

"Are you usually this energetic in the morning, Maron?" the stranger smiled. Maron's heart fluttered for a second; a shock to her, as the only other person who's smile had a similar effect on her was Chiaki.

"Who… how… um…" she searched for words to use.

"I'm Kurosawa Shin. Your parents told you about me… didn't they?" he asked her. "They're waiting for us right now with your friends. Shall we?" Again, he held his hand out to her.

Maron thought their first meeting was a bit brief, but her own awareness that she had been running late that morning kept her from furthering the introduction. He knew who she was; in fact, her senses even told her that he knew more than her parents did. There was something strange about his dark eyes. He was Japanese, but he had an otherwordly look to him. Pitch black hair, just a bit longer than Chiaki's…_argh, why do I keep comparing them!?_ She snapped at her own mind. She didn't notice that Shin was smiling as they reached the parlor.

Chiaki noticed their entrance before anyone else in the room. And of course, he immediately raised an eyebrow at the sight of Maron holding another guy's hand. Maron had let go though, upon her parents greeting her. They began to discuss their plans for the day. Miyako was back to bullying Minazuki as Shin slowly turned his head. He and Chiaki locked eyes for a moment, studying one another; Shin with amusement, Chiaki with suspicion. The only other person to notice the tension between the two was Maron. She sighed, unnoticed by her parents to her relief, and wondered what the day held in store for the seven of them.

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

To be continued.

_Thanks for reading the sixth chapter! I appreciate any feedback, and I'll try to update soon. Finals are almost over, luckily. Ciao!_


	7. Chapter 07

_The Devil's Checkmate_

_By Miaka_

* * *

"I don't like him," Chiaki decided. In actuality, he had known this as early as that morning in the parlor, but now that the group was all out and together, Chiaki took the first opportunity available to vent to Minazuki about the strange new member of Maron's family. Minazuki, obviously alarmed by Chiaki's sudden choice of topic, lost balance of the teacup he'd been keenly examining in the bazaar Maron's mother had brought everyone to. Its intricate designs of golden Japanese gardens along the outside were what had drawn him to it. He had picked it up, thinking of his grandfather back in Japan. And now he struggled with it in his shaking fingers to keep from dropping it. Finally getting the steadiest grip he could manage, he set it back on the display shelf he had found it from and turned to Chiaki in exasperation. 

"Careful with what you say! Suppose he heard you? Or Maron's parents!" Minazuki panicked, his eyes darting around to find those he had mentioned. Chiaki looked with him, spotting Shin with Maron and her father. They were standing in front of a large quilt hanging from the wall. Medieval scenes had been sewn onto the patches, one of which Shin seemed to be explaining to Maron. Chiaki watched her listening intently, narrowing his eyes as faint jealousy nagged at him. Jealous as he might be, the truth was, he was far more concerned. He sensed something strange about Maron's adopted brother; something off about him.

"They can't hear me from here. And look, Kusakabe-san's all the way over there," Chiaki pointed in the other direction. Miyako was at a jewelry table with Maron's mother, admiring what was for sale. "So tell me, though... what do you think about him?"

"Me?" Minazuki stalled. He looked away from his friend for the moment and turned back to where Maron was laughing with her father over something Shin had said. Minazuki shrugged, answering, "Although I understand why you feel the way you do, I really don't know him well enough to say I dislike him." With a sigh, Chiaki told him to forget he had said anything.

* * *

After dinner, Maron's father announced he had reserved tickets to one of the evening operas. Maron and Miyako were particularly excited about this, going starry eyed and giggling with one another. Shin looked pleased as well, though not nearly as affected. Maron supposed he had already seen his fair share of Parisian operas, but upon that thought she wasn't any less enthusiastic. 

The Kusakabes led Maron and her friends to the limo awaiting them outside. There they climbed in, filling the vehicle. Mmaron's father sat beside the driver while her mother took a seat between Maron and Shin in the back. Miyako, Minazuki, and Chiaki filled the seats across from them. At once, Miyako started chatting with Maron, first praising the restaurant they had just eaten at, then describing a necklace she had seen at the bazaar. She expressed regret for not buying it.

"Oh, Miyako-chan, you should have said something!" Maron's mother giggled. "I would have gotten it for you."

Maron watched the comical jaw drop on her best friend's face. But even though her eyes were glittering, Miyako modestly declined the offer. "I couldn't possibly accept, Kusakabe-san," Miyako said, smiling sweetly. "It was much too expensive."

"Nonsense!" Maron's father piped up from the front passenger seat. "You're like our second daughter. And after how long you've looked out for our Maron, it'd be nothing!" Maron's mother nodded to his every word.

Miyako blushed, having never considered her friendship with Maron was ever a favor. Miyako looked at Maron, who had turned to the window beside them, no doubt embarrassed.

"Next time don't hesitate to ask for anything, 'neesan," Shin grinned. Miyako imagined she had shivered when Shin looked at her. She ignored it, leaning to the right against Minazuki.

"You didn't get anything, Yamato?" Miyako asked. Minazuki's ears turned red.

"No, no… I want a good look around the city before I buy anything," he said, conscious of Miyako's arm resting on his. Chiaki remained quiet during the car ride, taking Maron's idea of looking out the window. He would rather see the street than the man sitting across from him.

'_What's with this seating arrangement anyway?'_ Chiaki frowned. He felt Maron was far too away from him. But in the instant he looked at her, he felt Shin's eyes upon him.

"Have you ever seen opera, Nagoya-san?" Shin asked, his long black bangs not quite covering the sly expression. Chiaki, uncomfortable, just shook his head 'no'. Shin's voice was eerily tranquil; Chiaki was annoyed by it. "It's lovely," Shin said, glancing past Maron's mother. "I'm sure Maron will enjoy it."

Chiaki raised his eyebrow and tried to decipher any hidden meaning in Shin's words. Minazuki nudged him to interrupt Chiaki's unpleasant expression. It only took ten more minutes before they reached the opera house. When they emptied out of the limousine, Miyako and Maron both awed over the opera house building. Maron's father looked pleased by the girls' interested and gave them a brief background of the architect, a man who had actually been from Italy. They passed the fountain outside and filed up the stairs to the entrance.

The Kusakabes had arranged special seating on the balcony; they were to sit in the front, with the best view. Minazuki and Miyako followed Maron's parents to the end of the row, Chiaki following with Maron behind him. Shin sat at the very end; Chiaki had a dark look when he realized Maron was between them.

"This place was built in the 30s, you know," Shin whispered to Maron, who was taking in the theater with amazement. She seemed most impressed by the paintings of muses on the ceiling, all illuminated by crystal chandeliers.

"So it's not that old," Maron said, trying to keep up the conversation before the opera began.

"Depends on how you define 'old'," Shin smiled. Maron had stood to watch the audience in the seats below. Already most of the red velvet seats were taken; Maron wondered if it the theater would have a full house that night.

"How old are _you_?" Chiaki asked, keeping his voice unfriendly when he turned to Shin.

"_Chiaki_…" Minazuki said under his breath.

"It's alright," Shin chuckled, having taken no offense. Then, as neither Maron nor Minazuki were watching, Shin looked Chiaki square in the face and answered. "I'm eighteen."

Maron whipped around suddenly, sitting back in her seat. "It's starting!" she said, her hands clasped together. Chiaki melted over her cuteness. The lights began dimming, Maron's excited eyes fading into the dark beside Chiaki. He looked to the stage with her. An orchestra struck up as the black curtain parted, behind which an oceanic scene was revealed. Maron watched, fascinated as the female performer on stage began to sing. The woman's ringing voice filled the theater, enchanting every audience member. But Maron was disappointed that she could not understand most of the lyrics; her French still needed practice.

Shin had been watching her, recognizing the focused but confused look of someone who was trying to translate. He leaned to Maron's ear and described the song to her in a low, silky voice that at first made Maron's skin crawl.

"She's singing of her kingdom under the sea. She's a queen of sirens; beautiful, dangerous she-creatures who lure sailors to death with their voices," Shin began. Maron was intrigued, so he continued. "But now she's sad because she has fallen in love with a human."

Maron turned to Shin then, her voice disappointed as she asked, "Why would that make her sad?" During the pause which followed before Shin answered, the singer had hit a particularly high note at the end of the opening song. It was brilliantly clear. Shin waited for the song's completion before he spoke again.

"She's not like the other sirens," he began, dropping his voice to a whisper as the woman behind them cleared her throat to hint that their conversation was disruptive. "Their voices only lure humans into the sea. Hers would kill the man instantly. So she'll never get to speak to him."

Maron listened to the story, no longer affected by his voice. She was much more enthralled by how much Shin knew. Chiaki had been listening the whole time; his head ached a bit from straining his ears to hear Shin. When at last he could tolerate no more, he asked, "So, how come your French is so great?" He had asked the first question that came to mind, immediately regretting it as it sounded foolish. He had also forcibly interrupted Maron before she could ask Shin another question. Maron was both surprised and embarrassed. She was even more amazed that Shin could keep his cool when it was obvious Chiaki didn't like him.

And then something else surprised her. She had felt Chiaki's hand close over hers on the armrest between them. It was warm… but had he done it out of jealousy?

"Maron's father taught me years ago. French, English, and Latin. He was a wonderful teacher," replied Shin, aware of Maron's wince when he had answered. Chiaki had felt it in her hand. He looked at her, concerned as ever; and he realized that the topic of her parents, even now, was still a fragile issue.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to use the ladies' room," Maron said. She had to get away. Chiaki tried to hold onto her, but she tore his hand from hers, equally ignoring Shin's efforts to dissuade her from leaving the performance. But to Maron, who felt suffocated, staying was out of the question. And so she rose from her seat, keeping her head low until she reached the end of the row and found the exit to the stairwell. From there, she pressed on, fearing either Miyako or her parents might run after her. She wanted them to enjoy the opera. Besides that, Maron did not want Chiaki to find her; she had worried him enough as of late.

Fortunately, no one was in the restroom. It was there Maron hid herself; she made herself comfortable in a cushioned chair just outside the area with the actual stalls. It was almost like a dressing room; there was a long mirror on the wall, topped with round lights that lit up the counter women could rest their purses on as they dolled themselves up. She imagined the opera house's actual dressing room being full of actors or actresses; some getting into costume behind folding screens, others preparing stage makeup. Maron sighed as she envisioned the excitement. She hadn't noticed that she was no longer alone.

"Maron."

She saw movement in the mirror and looked up. Just behind her reflection, hovering by Maron's head, was a miniature angel; white feathered wings, piercing green eyes, hair just a shade lighter, and a familiar, contagious smile. All were there. Maron jumped up and spun around to see, taking the little angel into her hands to be sure she was not hallucinating. The angel immediately went into a fit of squeaks.

"Fin? Is it you!?" Maron grinned. "Stop pulling my leg! Am I dreaming!?"

"Oof… ouch! Of course you're not dreaming, and stop pulling MY leg!" Fin snapped. Maron stopped, realizing she had been too rough for someone so small, and quickly let go of Fin's tiny foot. "Much better," Fin sighed, fixing her hair.

"It _is_ you," Maron sat down again. Finn fluttered down to face her. "But why are you here?" Wonder filled her eyes as she stared at the angel with intensity. Under the pressure, Fin suddenly burst into tears.

"Whaa---!!" Maron was taken aback, of course, begging over the sobbing for the angel to calm down.

"Maron… Maron!!" Fin cried, pacing in the air, her wings flittering frantically. "I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!!!" Maron pulled out her blue handkerchief and held it up for Fin's use. She was completely thrown off by Fin's tears; she had thought their reunion would be happier.

Fin dried her eyes on the soft cloth. When her sniffling subsided, Maron looked at her softly and asked what she was apologizing for. Fin flew past Maron's chair and sat at the counter under the mirror. She was exhausted. She hiccupped, trying to choose her words carefully. Maron, for having not seen Fin in so long, remained patient; patient, but troubled. Finally, Fin took a deep breath, for she was about to answer and she couldn't be sure how Maron would react. After all, Maron was probably just getting used to returning to her kaitou-free life.

Fin, however, did not get the chance to speak. They were both startled by a distant crash, and the instant screams that followed. Maron stood, thinking of her friends and family in the audience. The screams were still going on.

"Maron, go. I'll find you and we'll talk later," Fin firmly said. She did not want to hold Maron back.

Maron nodded and dashed out of the restroom. As she climbed the carpeted stairwell, she thought of all the demons she had faced in the past. Was Fin here to tell her there were more? Was there a demon in the theater now? She got to the top of the stairs and did not even have to open the door. A trembling young woman pushed it open for herself, leading a group of audience members out of the theater in a hurry down the stairs. Maron stood close to the wall to avoid blocking their path.

"What happened?" she asked one elderly couple. But they passed her silently, the woman clinging to her husband and staring on fearfully.

"Maron!" Miyako appeared in the door. Before Maron even turned her head, she was hugged by her father rather fiercely.

"Thank God you're okay! I didn't realize you went missing until the chaos in there and I---"

"What chaos?" Maron asked, biting her lip in the hope that it would help her forget that her father hadn't noticed she had left the theater.

"One of the chandeliers had a loose rope. It fell onto the stage," Miyako said, glaring at a mother and her two boys for pushing her aside to reach the stairs. Maron's eyes were wide.

"The actors…it was terrible!" Minazuki said, looking horrified.

"Honey, I can't stay here a moment longer," Maron's mother sounded like she might cry. Her husband put his arm around her and began to lead her down the stairs, beckoning Maron and company to follow.

"What?" Maron whispered to Minazuki, not wanting her mother to be further upset. "People got hurt?!"

But Shin, who had been walking in front of her, was the one to answer. He looked over his shoulder and quietly informed her that the main actress had been crushed under the weight of the chandelier; likely dead, he said. Chiaki glared at him.

Maron stopped in place. Shock overtook her. She recalled the opening scene of the opera; the beautiful, sad Siren Queen. She regretted that she had not stayed to see more of the performance; regretted that she had not been there to do something. Jeanne would have been able to. But as Maron, she would have been powerless.

Chiaki put his hand on Maron's shoulder. "Come on," he gently pulled her back to reality. "There are people behind you." He took the next step down the stairs and gave her hand a soft pull. This time Maron kept her hand in his, all the way to the limousine.

* * *

To be continued.

_Ahaha. I was amused when I realized I still had this story titled "Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne OAV"… at the time I first began this story, I thought OAV meant anime sequel, not "original animated version". O.o; Anyway… my apologies for the delay in this story's continuation. I hope those of you who are enjoying_ _continue to read and review. _- Miaka


	8. Chapter 08

_The Devil's Checkmate_

_By Miaka_

* * *

Once back at the manor, everyone bid each other somber "good nights" before silently turning in for the night; everyone, save for Miyako and Minazuki. Miyako waited for the hall to empty before allowing herself to knock at Minazuki's room. He appeared a moment later with surprise on his face; it had only been a minute before that Miyako had wished him pleasant dreams. 

Now she stood and looked at him excitedly, her face half hidden but somewhat visible by the positioning of the candle-like hall lights. Minazuki's hand slid off the door handle as Miyako pushed past him to enter his room. Minazuki, quite thrown off, first stuck his head out into the hall way to make sure no one had seen and then shut his door as he sank back into the room.

"We have to go back to the opera house," was the first thing Miyako said. Minazuki wondered if he had heard right as he shuddered and turned to face her. He wasn't sure yet which disturbed him more; what was actually said or the determination with which she said it.

"Mi, Mi, Miyako…" Yamato stammered, finding himself even more flustered when he met Miyako's ambitious eyes on him. With a gulp, Minazuki mustered up all the backbone he could manage in order to go on, "The place is under investigation now. We can't go back there."

"We'll have to call a taxi in the morning… long before breakfast… everyone would be up by then. Ooh!!! Maybe I can email Haruta and get him to fly in…" Miyako babbled on all of her ideas. It appeared she hadn't even heard Minazuki; he sighed and stood awkwardly at the room's center. From there he watched Miyako circle him, continuing to spill out her ideas. Should she call her father? No, Haruta, Shinji, or Akita would have to do. Detective Toudaiji was likely busy enough with Japanese cases. She could contact the Parisian department and offer her assistance, but how likely were they to take a high school student seriously? A foreigner, at that. Her French, also, was not exactly fluent. Miyako sighed, realizing the many circumstances against her. She plopped onto Minazuki's perfectly-made bed and fell into one of her silent pondering moods.

Minazuki masked his relief and quietly watched Miyako. He didn't like to see her so disappointed, but he would prefer that to being dragged into a possible murder case neither one of them had anything to do with. Aside from being witnesses.

"Maybe if I tell the chauffer I left something behind, he would take us there," Miyako grasped her knees, both satisfied and excited by her idea.

Minazuki groaned and finally abandoned his spot in the middle of the room to face Miyako. She looked up at him; her smile stung him. She was no doubt expecting his full support; but she wasn't going to get it.

"I know you want to be a detective, Miyako," he started, feeling the beads of sweat already start to form as he watched Miyako's smile fade. "But we're not in Momokuri. We should just mind our own business, you know? Save the crime fighting for when we get back home."

He hadn't persuaded her. "It very well might have just been a terrible accident!" he added desperately. Miyako turned her eyes away from him, looking hurt. Minazuki tried to find something to say, but his voice only came out weakly as an uncomfortable, "Umm..."

Instantly, Miyako got up and stormed for the door. Minazuki was quick to get in her way, pulling her hand away from the door handle. She looked at him furiously, which made him let go. But he did not avert his eyes from her, despite how clearly angry she was.

"Don't be mad at me," he said. He hadn't phrased it as a request, but his tone was pleading. For a second, Miyako relaxed. She was about to say something. But then came a knock at the door.

Both Miyako and Minazuki jerked their heads toward it in alarm. _Who, at this hour? _Minazuki ended the thought, recalling that Miyako had come to his door moments earlier. It seemed that tonight his company was popular; but at the moment, it wasn't much comfort.

"Monsieur Minazuki?" the familiar, saucy French accent asked from the other side.

Minazuki caught Miyako's scowl just as he opened the door for the maid and answered, "Ah, Marguerite?" Marguerite smiled as the two guests came into view. She showed no surprise over Miyako's presence; in fact, she ignored the girl altogether, directing every spoken word to Minazuki alone.

"Madame has informed me of the tragedy of today. She has asked me to see to all of you and to make sure you are well and comfortable. I came to you, personally, to ask if there is anything Monsieur desires." She clasped her hands lightly in front of her, watching Minazuki consider.

Miyako was enraged. Despite Marguerite's words, 'all of you', the maid did not once acknowledge Miyako. What annoyed Miyako much more, however, was Minazuki's sudden fidgeting in the presence of Marguerite. He had been just fine a minute ago. But now that some curvy, well-busted blonde in a skirt much too short (and far too frilled for Miyako's liking) stood before him, offering god knows what services were crossing his mind, Minazuki could barely stand still.

"What about you, Mademoiselle?" Marguerite actually spoke to Miyako. "Is there something you wanted?" she asked. Miyako noted that the tone was less friendly now; it was as if Marguerite was dismissing her.

Fine, then.

"No," Miyako replied without emotion. "Thank you. I'm going to bed." She left the room so suddenly that Minazuki had not been able to see her face before she was out the door. He frowned, wondering if she would still be mad at him in the morning.

"Is everything alright, Monsieur?" Marguerite seemed concerned by Miyako's abrupt exit. Minazuki had forgotten the maid was there for a second. He nodded, gazing uselessly at Miyako's back as she disappeared into the corridor.

"I don't need anything," he decided, politely adding, "But thank you."

* * *

_My apologies for the consistent waits between chapters. I've decided to go back to making shorter chapters. Generally what keeps me from posting the next chapters right away is that I find they're not long enough; I'm gonna see if making the chapters shorter will help my progress at all. _

_I wanted to focus a bit more on Miyako and Yamato here, but don't worry, the other characters will appear next time. Thanks for reading._


	9. Chapter 09

_The Devil's Checkmate_

_By Miaka_

* * *

Miyako wanted to look back over her shoulder, to see if the French maid was still at Minazuki's door. But she was too proud to do that. So what if Minazuki didn't want to help her? She could get just as much done on her own. She unballed her fists as she reached the end of the hall. She was almost at her door when she heard something to her right. 

'_Maron's door,_' Miyako thought, raising her eyebrow. Perhaps Maron and Chiaki were talking? Forgetting the irritation Minazuki had caused her, Miyako approached Maron's door and leaned an ear up to it. A stupid grin came to her face while she thought of all the things she could say to embarrass Maron in the morning. But to Miyako's surprise, she did not hear a deeper, male voice from within the room. The only sound was Maron's murmuring; words too unclear to interest Miyako.

"Is she sleep-talking?" Miyako wondered aloud, having found a new reason to be amused. She lifted her wrist to check her watch's time. It was already going on midnight. If she was going to sneak out in a few hours, she might as well get what sleep she could. And so Miyako moved on to the next door, to her room.

She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, frowning into the black room. She would investigate with or without Minazuki; either way, her gut told her that the falling chandelier had not just been a 'terrible accident'.

* * *

Maron tried to grasp everything Fin had just spilled out for her in a calm understanding. The miniature angel had been waiting in her room when she got there. And after another warm reunion, Fin admitted that she had not shown up simply to see Maron again. There was more, a lot more that Maron needed to know. And so Fin had begun with a retelling of her trial in heaven---the procedure she went through to become a full-fledged angel. 

"I was so nervous," Fin squeaked, shedding melodramatic tears into Maron's hair. "I thought they might de-rank me completely! It's not easy being in heaven after you've done work for… well, you know…" Fin trailed off, not wanting to bring up her past betrayal. "But it was worse when they told me I'd have to drag Jeanne into this again," she sniffled on, appreciating that Maron did not look the slightest bit annoyed; the only emotion in Maron's big brown eyes was concern.

"I'm not really surprised, Fin," Maron softly smiled.

"You're not?" Fin flew back a little, tilting her head.

"No," Maron answered. "I've been having… odd dreams lately… I wasn't sure what to make of them. At least now they sort of make sense to me."

Fin pursed her lips as she flew to the tea table behind her. She sat comfortably on its edge while considering what Maron had just said. Maron immediately recognized the troubled expression.

"What kind of dreams has Maron been having?" Fin asked before Maron could question the look on Fin's face.

"Nn… just Kaitou-related, I suppose," Maron replied, choosing not to relay the nightmare of Chiaki abandoning her, though now that she thought of it, that too had been troubling.

"Hmm," Finn observed Maron, sensing she had not shared everything. But that was okay. Tonight was more urgent.

"Maron. There's a demon at the opera house you were at today," Finn said quickly, shocking Maron off the bed.

"At the opera house?" Maron repeated, closing in on the tea table for an elaboration. Fin looked up at her with round, fearful green eyes and nodded.

"But Satan's not sending out typical minions anymore," Fin dropped her voice to a near whisper. "The demons he's been letting loose are different."

"Different how?"

"Before, demons would possess one object, affecting one host. You remember," Fin explained. "The victims would always be saved as soon as you sealed the demons away. But now… these demons don't need hosts. They act on their own, taking shapes of all kinds. And they're much stronger than what you've faced before. For one, these demons can't be sealed."

Maron's brow creased as she took in everything with a sense of duty, but also a lot of confusion. If she couldn't seal the demons, what was she going to do?

"How did they get to be stronger?" Maron asked.

"No one knows," Fin answered. "But the head angels think it's because somehow, Satan has gotten more power. The first demons you sealed, the ones I," she paused, "Handed over to him may have given him some strength. But there's a rumor going around in Heaven that Satan has another agent working for him in the human world."

Maron raised her eyebrow. "What, like you or Noin?"

Fin cringed over Maron's bluntness, but nodded and said, "Possibly." She avoided Maron's eyes for a moment, staring off into the farthest corner of the room and frowning. There was more to the rumor that she would not tell Maron; that many angels believed Fin was still working for Maou, the devil.

"Fin," Maron noticed the angel had zoned out. Fin turned her bright little head back to Maron, giving her full attention before Maron asked, "If I can't seal the demons… what am I supposed to do?" Moonlight broke through the balcony window as a cloud that had been in front of it passed on, wrapping Fin in silvery light. The light was filtered by one of the trees just outside; Maron watched twisted shadows wave across the angel's face as a breeze swept by that side of the manor.

"Do you know what demons really are, Maron?" the angel asked. An inexplicable chill crept over Maron's shoulders. The origin of demons…she had never really considered it. All this time, she had assumed the demons were just the devil's creations. But now she could tell, by Fin's frightened face, that there was far more to it.

"Angels," Fin continued, but her voice had become sad. "Every demon… was once an angel; has the same biological makeup, the same powers, the same purpose---"

"Purpose?" Maron interrupted, having trouble picturing God's right hand race working for the devil. "Aren't angels messengers of God?" Fin nodded.

"Demons are messengers too. They deliver souls to Maou and spread his terror into other realms."

Maron wasn't liking the sound of any of this. "How do they become demons?" Maron asked.

"How did the devil become the devil?" Fin asked back. Maron said nothing. She knew the answer easily enough. Fin had told her many a time; that Maou had once been the highest level of angels. He may have even been God's favorite. But a long time ago, when God created man, Maou changed. He didn't like the humans; he thought them inferior because they were powerless. And yet, God loved humankind dearly; even more than the angels. Maou could not fathom it. It drove him mad.

And so the devil was born.

"Angels hate humans?" Maron concluded.

"Not all of them do," Fin corrected her at once. "Most of us love them as much as God does. But… enough angels have turned for the balance between God and Maou to be in danger. More of them are joining Maou every year. Some of them do so willingly. Others are tricked. Times are bad, Maron."

Maron dropped to her knees in front of the tea table and stared at the carpeted floor for a while. The design on it was a vermillion maze on creamy white; Maron herself felt like she was trapped in a maze, being drawn back into the war between Heaven and Hell. Fin watched her silently, wishing the girl could have been given more time to enjoy a normal life. But destiny was Maron's calling.

"What can I do?" Maron asked. "If I can't seal them, what can I do?" Fin winced at her tone, but was prepared with the answer now that Maron knew the truth about demons. The sub-angel closed her eyes and clasped her tiny hands together, whispering a barely audible prayer. Maron straightened herself, listening to the wind start to whistle and then _scream_ against the balcony windows, throwing the doors open. Startled, Maron got to her feet. The moonlight from before intensified around Fin, making her almost too bright to look at. Maron shielded her eyes as the light reached its peak.

And suddenly, the wind stopped. The light dimmed to normal. Maron lowered her arms and looked down to find Fin still standing on the table; or at least, standing on a sword laid out on the table. Maron gaped down at the weapon. Its sheath was made of a glowing silver, laced by intricate designs of vines from top to bottom. Maron looked at it questioningly.

"You can eliminate them," Fin answered. Upon that answer, Maron felt two things.

At first, her heart skipped a beat; but then, she felt it ache.

* * *

_I'm going to use 'Maou', 'the devil', and 'Satan' interchangably; please deal with it. Anyway, nyaa, that's all for this chapter! Hope you enjoyed._


	10. Chapter 10

_The Devil's Checkmate_

_By Miaka_

* * *

Like an activated switch, adrenaline empowered Maron. The sudden appearance of the sword, which she was sure Fin conjured up, left her feeling as though she knew exactly what to do. Without pause, she lifted the weapon up by its hilt, Fin darting out of the way in an instant before.

Maron removed the sheath and admired the blade itself in the moonlight shining in from the open balcony. It was the same clean silver as its cover-counterpart left on the table top, but free of any designs or engravings; the simplicity moved her somehow, or maybe it was the strange familiarity of it.

"Maron?" Fin's small voice broke the trance.

Maron gave her a small smile. "I know, Fin," she said. She faced the dark world outside and abandoned the comfort of her room. The wind that greeted her made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. She closed her eyes, dutifully clutching her new weapon as she leapt off the balcony and sent a heartfelt prayer to God.

"Jeanne D'Arc, lend me your powers," Maron whispered. Like a spell, the breeze picked up, cradling Maron as she felt the new divine transformation beginning.

"Strong and serious," she chanted, feeling her clothes from that day melt into the familiar white kimono-like thief garments. Ruby-jeweled crosses suddenly dangled from her ears; the wind pulled her hair back into Jeanne's high golden ponytail.

"Matchless and marvelous," she said next, her voice louder now. Violet irises replaced Maron's chestnut browns, complementing the already angelic appearance. At long last, her white, ribbon adorned boots touched ground.

"'Energetic and courageous!" the last verse rang strong through out the crisp vespertine scene. A light caught her eye; looking up, she spotted Fin guiding her away from the Kusakabe property. She sprinted to follow.

Little did either of them notice that they had been seen.

* * *

Miyako could hardly believe her eyes. Jeanne? JEANNE? She was sure that Maron's days as Kaitou Jeanne were over since the battle against Dark Fin. She ran after Jeanne's darting silhouette through the woods, dodging branches and long roots on the ground to keep up. Truth be told, she was glad to be chasing after the thief again, even without the intentions of arresting her. She had thought she'd be investigating the crime scene alone tonight.

Miyako stopped dead in her tracks. But…with Jeanne involved, did that mean the murder was supernatural? She gulped, considering whether or not to get involved.

Chiaki isn't with her, Miyako thought, furrowing her brows. It'd be best if I kept an eye on her then. I'll make it so she won't even know I'm there.

And, with her friend's safety in her thoughts, Miyako kept running.

* * *

Jeanne hopped off the Parisian taxi she had 'hitched' a ride on to Rue de Meaux and leapt into the shadows of an alley to the right. As she watched the cab drive on towards its passenger's destination, she could not shake off the feeling that she was being followed ever since leaving the mansion. But Fin was still flying onwards, and so she did not make any pauses. She dashed towards the green light hovering at the end of the alleyway, darkness concealing her until she came to the other end. There she found herself on another main street of the city, the sidewalks lit by high golden lamp posts. Across the way was the marble opera house building. Fin was already at the bottom of the stairs outside. Jeanne followed her lead, avoiding the spotlights projected by the lamp posts along the way and circling around the fountain to reach the stairs.

"There's no security?" Jeanne asked the little angel, eyeing the French caution tape blocking off the theater doors.

"The police are continuing the investigation tomorrow, Maron. But by then, there will already be more victims. We need to get the demon, and we need to get it now," Fin squeaked.

Jeanne nodded, clutching the sword Fin had given her as she ran up the stairs. Rather than disturbing the caution tape, Jeanne and Fin crept around the side of the building and searched for windows that might provide access to the inside. They were unsuccessful until reaching the back of the building, where Jeanne discovered two basement windows peeking out onto the back parking lot. Jeanne slid the left window open and squeezed through, feet first. Fin followed, providing the thief little light in what they determined to be a basement. They searched the room for a minute until Jeanne bumped into a set of stairs going up; she called Fin to go ahead of her so she could see where she was going.

"Do you suppose this leads up to the theater?" Fin squeaked.

"Yes, but shh," Jeanne advised. "We don't want the demon to hear us until we can actually see our surroundings."

Fin's glowing aura revealed a door at the top of the stairs; both were relieved to find that it wasn't locked from the outside. They passed into the lobby of the opera house. The lights had been left on so as not to disturb the crime vicinity.

"It's upstairs," Fin shivered, sensing the evil aura already. Her eyes were wide.

"You can wait here, Fin," Jeanne assured her with a brave smile. "I think I can manage."

"No, Jeanne! I'll come with you," Fin began to insist but Jeanne shook her head.

"If these demons are really as bad as you say, I don't need you getting in the way, got it?" she said, completely unaware of her own harshness. Fin merely nodded, but stared after her sadly as she stayed put in the lobby.

* * *

Jeanne ran up the velvet carpeted stairs. All around her, she could hear the screams and panicked voices of the audience members from earlier that evening; but she knew it was a trick of the demon's. She was the only one here.

She reached the door at the end of the stairwell and threw it open by its brass painted handle. Instantly, a shadow-filled breeze lashed at her from inside the theater. Despite that, Jeanne stepped forward, the door violently shut behind her by what she suspected was the demon's will.

"…cOmpAnY…? I hAvE cOmpAnY?!" something raved from the stage. Jeanne cringed; the voice was not so much a voice, but the words were in her head and played out like nails on a chalkboard. She walked to the balcony edge and looked out onto the stage. Sure enough, a large, formless shadow was at center stage.

"ArE YOU thE OnE thEY cAll jEAnnE?" the voice laughed. But now it seemed to be all around her, rather than just in her head. Jeanne drew her sword and glared down at the demon.

"I am. You, demon born in darkness, I seal you here," Jeanne spoke over the black wind the demon was creating all around her.

"...YOU'rE nOt EvEn gOIng tO Ask mY nAmE? hOw rUdE!!" the demon said, feigning offense but laughing as soon as it was done replying.

"A murderer like you doesn't have the right to be calling others rude," Jeanne said through gritted teeth.

"hEhE… YOU'rE mAkIng A mIstAkE, jEAnnE…" the demon said in between horrendous giggles.

"What mistake is that?" the annoyed thief asked, growing weary of conversing with the demon.

"You're forgetting demons are stronger than we used to be." The voice was suddenly clear. The shadows on the stage condensed into a thick black cloud Jeanne's vision could not pierce. She leapt onto the balcony rail to try and get a better view, but to no avail. Just as she was about to dive down onto the stage, the cloud began to thin. Inside, she could see the figure of a person…no, a demon. With…wings?

"I don't abide by God's laws anymore, Jeanne," the silver haired creature grinned up at her. The demon was much like Dark Fin; wings that gave it the deceptive angel appearance, but eyes that could kill. Jeanne could see his wicked smile from the balcony. The demon reached for his waist in a movement far too quick for her anticipation of the moment. He threw something out in front of him and the next thing she knew, something caught onto her ankle and jerked her away from the balcony. Shocked, Jeanne cried out and grabbed onto the balcony rail as the whip that caught her ankle tugged at her. With her other hand, she hacked at the whip with her sword, snapping it and freeing herself. Then she pulled herself up enough to use the balcony edge to back flip herself over the rows of audience in front of the stage. The demon cursed and dodged as Jeanne nearly kicked him upon landing. She landed facing him, her sword drawn out to parry any underhanded attacks he could have sent her way. But the demon's attention was elsewhere; Jeanne wasn't liking the smile on his face. She followed his eyes back up to the balcony she had jumped from.

Her heart stopped.

"Miyako!!" Jeanne yelled. With a smirk, the demon flew up to the balcony before Jeanne could warn her friend. Miyako backed away from him, all too late realizing that the man was no angel.

"Touch her and I'll…!" Jeanne shouted, rage infused in her voice. The demon cut off her threat with a deep laugh, catching Miyako around the waist as she turned to run. He looked up, spotting a small window in the ceiling of the theater and flying upwards. Fuming, Jeanne summoned her red ribbon stick, but not in time before the window shattered. The demon directed the glass shards at her and she just barely rolled out of the way.

Jeanne looked up to the window and realized that even with the ribbon stick, there was no way she'd be able to reach it.

"Damn," she thought out loud. She jumped up and ran towards the backstage in search of another way to reach the roof.

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll try to write more soon.  
_


	11. Chapter 11

_The Devil's Checkmate_

_By Miaka_

If anything happened to Miyako, Jeanne would never forgive herself. She found the racing of her heart was offbeat; something about the demon's true form had unsettled her and she tried putting it out of her head as she squinted into the darkness of the backstage.

"Jeanne!" a familiar voice squeaked from above. Jeanne looked up, surprised to find Access Time floating down towards her, radiating violet.

"Access? Is Sinbad here?" Jeanne raised her eyebrow.

"Actually, I'm just here to tell you there are light switches on the right stage wall," Access grinned.

As she darted over to the right part of the stage, Jeanne considered asking why Access hadn't brought Sinbad, but she decided against breaking her concentration. Blindly running her fingers across the wall Access mentioned, it took Jeanne less than a minute to find the switches. There were several, but only one was left down; Jeanne flicked it upwards. She looked over her shoulder and found she could actually see the far wall now; and attached to the center of that back wall, a ladder.

"Thanks, Access! Could you tell Fin I'm alright?" Jeanne requested, also wanting Access to stay out of danger. Access hesitated, as if considering. But when he saw Jeanne's wide, amethyst eyes, he nodded and flew off in the direction of the lobby. When he was gone, Jeanne took a deep breath and began her climb upwards. Within seconds, she was up in the rafters, walking over lights and ropes as she looked around. A door at the left stage platform caught her eye and, upon going through it, she found herself in a dim stairwell in which she could either go up or down.

* * *

Miyako was dropped down onto the opera house roof without warning. She felt the texture underneath her scratch her hands, and, after collecting herself, she lifted her palms up to see if they were not bleeding. Since there were few lights on the roof, it was hard to tell. But the scratches felt hot. She _could_ make out the shadow of her captor standing over her. Very slowly, she lifted her head to face him. The gleaming eyes that met hers startled her; they glowed like golden lanterns with dark narrow slits in them. Miyako shuddered; to think she had mistaken the creature for an angel.

"What are you to Jeanne?" the demon asked. His voice was coy, and Miyako didn't like it. So she lowered her eyes and said nothing. The only door in sight was far away from her, and she would have to pass the demon to reach it. She didn't expect her chances of getting past him were very high.

"Hmph. You're either very smart or very stupid," he grinned at her defiance. Miyako refused to look at him, and so he knelt down and grabbed her chin, forcing her again to face him. Miyako glanced down at his hand, surprised that his fingers were neither fiery hot nor ice cold to the touch. She was trying to figure out why he hadn't killed her already when she noticed his eyes were suddenly directly in front of hers. This startled her frozen, and he smiled as he felt her shudder. When he spoke again, his voice was surprisingly soft. "By the way… I couldn't help but notice that Jeanne seemed surprised to see you. Could it be you weren't supposed to know what she was up to?"

At that, Miyako jerked her head away, prepared to retort in Jeanne's defense. The demon just snatched her by the pony tail and stood, dragging her up painfully with him. Miyako's cry blocked out the sound of the roof door opening. It didn't keep the demon from noticing, however; and when he did, he pulled tighter on Miyako's hair.

"Let her go. This is between you and me," Jeanne demanded, appearing on the roof. She took a few steps forward. The demon eased his grip on Miyako's ponytail and smiled. Miyako wished he would let go completely.

"But it isn't really, is it?" he chuckled. His laugh grew louder at the perplexed look on Jeanne's face that followed. "What are you fighting for, Jeanne?"

Jeanne paused, both surprised and annoyed. The demon wanted conversation?

"This girl? Your family? Mankind?" the demon went on, filling up the silence with a dramatic air. "Yourself? No," he paused to push Miyako behind himself. Jeanne watched helplessly as Miyako stumbled backwards to the floor. "We're all just chess pieces, Jeanne. Haven't you realized?"

Without blinking, she swung the sword out in front of her. Of course she was fighting for everything dear to her. What was the demon stalling for?

"Be quiet," she snapped at him. And seemingly at her request, he did go quiet. But he was smiling.

Something in the air rang. Jeanne turned her head right and instantly slashed her cheek against an invisible glass wire. Blood stung across the side of her face, and as she refocused her wild violet eyes to the demon, she saw him hold his arms crossed up in front of him. His talon fingernails twitched slightly; another unseen wire tore the skin just above her knee.

"You surprised me," the demon mused to her. "I thought you'd have questions. Ah, well. Less work for me." His arms flickered upwards, and at once, Jeanne felt her legs caught between two wires. She brought her sword to them both and leapt some distance to her left. The demon, undaunted, laughed a little and delicately waved one hand towards her. Jeanne could just barely make out the glinting wires shooting towards her, but she ducked in time and rolled out of reach.

"Very well, then," the demon drew her attention again. Now he looked irritated. "You," he turned back and looked down to Miyako, who had been silently rooting for Jeanne. "Why don't you…" he started to say, leaning over a little to haul her up to her feet. "Do something useful?" He flashed another wicked grin at Jeanne and swung Miyako out in front of him. Jeanne couldn't catch the gesture he made next with Miyako between them. But the next thing she knew, Miyako came flying at her, her bare hands outstretched to Jeanne's neck. Jeanne dropped her sword to bar Miyako away with her arms.

"…Maron!" Miyako whimpered, conscious to what she was doing but unable to stop. She suddenly kicked Jeanne hard in the shin. The blow shocked the strength out of Jeanne's arms momentarily, enough for Miyako to break through. And suddenly, the girl tackled the kaitou to the ground, choke-grasping Jeanne's narrow neck with a frightening hold. Jeanne gasped, desperately prying at Miyako's unnaturally strong hands. Miyako's shoulders trembled in resistance, but she could do nothing.

"Fight it, Miyako…" Jeanne urged her friend though her voice was but a rasp. Behind them both, the demon had stepped up to entertain himself. As he saw Jeanne's effort to talk, he pulled back on the wires controlling Miyako. Her hands tightened around Jeanne's neck. Jeanne, squinting against the pain and creeping loss of air, glanced around for her sword. It had fallen too far from her reach earlier for it to be of use now. Even if it had been nearer, she would not have been able to use it against Miyako. With her last ounce of strength, Jeanne forced her knee up against Miyako's stomach, knocking the girl off to the side. In a second, Jeanne was up on her feet again, sword in hand. Shocked, the demon lost his concentration, freeing Miyako to crouch over her stomach and recover from Jeanne's offense.

Leaving the demon not a second more, Jeanne charged at him with the sword. Before she reached him, he flew up onto the roof ledge, missing the swing of her attack. She looked up at him furiously, swinging again at his feet. With a laugh, he dodged the second attempt, hovering just beyond the roof's edge.

"I've made you angry," he noted with a hint of amusement.

"What did you mean by 'we're all chess pieces'!? Aren't you including yourself by saying that?" Jeanne demanded, never once lowering her weapon.

"Yes," he said, the reply surprising Jeanne. "I too am just a pawn. But the difference is, there's honor in what I'm fighting for. Your god is a useless, old being afraid of change. Mine… wants to reshape this self-destructing planet."

Jeanne raised her eyebrow. "Self-destructing?" she repeated. Distracted, Jeanne did not see the demon motion towards her. At once her weapon was torn away from her grasp by the invisible strings crafted by the demon; then, a number of the wires circled her waist and pulled her to the edge of the roof. Alarmed and caught off balance, Jeanne wavered in the air. She heard Miyako yell out in a panic behind her, but too late was it for her to grab anything that might save her and she suddenly felt herself falling forward, forward, off the top of the building.

Horrified, she shut her eyes and prayed.


End file.
